House Democrats have again failed to override President Bush's veto of a proposed $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The vote left backers of the legislation about 15 votes short of the two-thirds majority of lawmakers voting necessary for an override. Democrats had argued that the nation's current economic troubles made expanding SCHIP--which provides subsidized health insurance to children of the working poor--all the more important.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has presented a proposal to reduce the number of Americans without medical coverage, and is calling it a blueprint for U.S. policymakers. The plan would combine tax credits to encourage people to buy coverage with ideas to improve the quality of healthcare. The association has also proposed helping states find and enroll people who are eligible for existing public health insurance programs but are not using them.
Officials for Cooper Green Mercy Hospital are seeking repayment of more than $16,000 that was paid to a consultant from the hospital's discretionary fund in 2006. The consultant claimed that he did not know the funds needed to be repaid but also confirmed also he did receive his paychecks in between receiving the advance.
Developer Daniel Corp. has completed a deal to buy HealthSouth Corp.'s U.S. 280 campus for $43.5 million, with plans to transform the property into a hotel and new office building, as well as the possibility of restaurants and retailers at the site. But the firm's first priority is finding a use for the unfinished hospital that sits on the property, a $200 million half-finished facility that HealthSouth has unsuccessfully tried to market to healthcare users.
On the eve of a major legislative hearing, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's healthcare overhaul has won so little support that the Democratic leadership may have to alter a committee's makeup for the measure to pass. A report by the nonpartisan legislative analyst's office questions some of the plan's fiscal assumptions, and estimated that by the fifth year of operation, the plan would be spending $300 million more than it was raising.
In December, President Bush vetoed a bill that would more than double spending on the State Children's Health Program for a second time, saying the bill would encourage too many families to replace private insurance with government-subsidized health coverage. With the economy struggling, Democratic lawmakers are now stressing that more families will need to rely on SCHIP this year if unemployment increases. The House is set to vote on whether to override Bush's second SCHIP veto.